**[PCSHOP] Application Form"**

Applying to the [PCSHOP] Community

Welcome to PCSHOP and thank you for your interest in our community! Hopefully you've been having a jolly time in our servers and have enjoyed meeting the people who play there. If you are interested in becoming a member, there is a simple process that is the result of years of trial and error. After reading this topic, you will know everything that there is to know.


Requirements
To become a member, there are both written and tacit requirements.

• BEFORE you may post an application, you need a forum account that is at least 1 week old. This is important to understand, as your topic will be deleted if this requirement is not met.
  
• A predetermined number of "Vouch Points". The current vouch requirement is 35 for New Applicants and 26 For Returning or Inactive Members.
  

That's it. The tacit requirements come into play when we delve into what exactly a vouch is, and how to earn them.


Vouches
Instead of simply having all members vote whether or not to accept you, we have a "running application". Often applications are up for weeks before they get enough vouches. If a Community Member has deemed you worthy to wear the tag, then they will vouch for you. Depending on their rank in the community, a different amount of vouch points will be added to your total.

Vouch points are as follows:

• Administrators + 6 points
  
• Forum Mod + 5 points
  
• Ban Management / Server Lead + 4 points
  
• Server Guard / Veteran Member + 3 points
  
• Member + 2 points
  

For each Community Member, what exactly it takes to earn their vouch is completely subjective. Here are a few things that many of us look for and some general tips to help you in the process.

Desirable traits:

• Activity in-game and on the forums
  
• A respectful attitude and maturity
  
• Patience
  
• Being good at the game never hurts (not a requirement - look at me)
  
• Showing the desire to be part of our community
  

Suggestions:

• A great first step is to introduce yourself to the community here if you haven't already.
  
• Play on more than one server. It's natural to enjoy certain servers more than others - this is true for members and applicants as well. Force yourself to try new things if only to meet new members.
  
• Talk to us. Forum activity is great and so is adding us on Steam. Make yourself known. Use our Steam Group and Official [PCSHOP] Roll Call List to find people.
  
• When you create your application after a week or so of being around, if you have a good rapport there will be an initial wave of vouches. After that you may have to work on people individually.
  
• Read other applications to see what works and what doesn't (Accepted Members Archive might be especially interesting here).
  
• Knowing the difference between persistence and annoyance
  
• Ask members to view your app, or ask them what you can do to earn their vouch, but do not specifically ask for a vouch. This commonly results in an anti-vouch.
  

Anti-Vouches
Obviously you won't be able to get every single person to like you. Often these people will be simply indifferent and just won't address your application. However if you do something that suggests to a member that you would not be a good fit here, they have the option to anti-vouch you. When this happens, the points that would normally add to your vouch points total are instead subtracted.

For example:
After an applicant posts their app, they receive these vouches:

Veteran Member vouches. --- +3 points
Forum Mod vouches ---- +5 points
Member anti-vouches ---- -2 points
Server Guard vouches --- +3 Points
Current vouch total is 9.


The Application
Now that you have read and understand the system, we'd be happy to see your application. Create a new topic, and make sure your name is somewhere in the title. Copy and paste the following form and fill it out.

Name: In-Game Name: Age: Gender: E-mail: Access to a Mic: Primary Server you play on: Other Games (consoles included): Hobbies (other than games): Link to your topic in "Introduce Yourself!" if you have one: Additional Comments (optional): When did you begin playing on PC Shop servers? Why are you interested in joining our community? What do you like about our community? What do you think we can improve on? What can you contribute to our community? Are you able to donate and/or buy admin to support us?

Final Comments
**We will never contact you by email regarding acceptance to the community! Do not get fooled by fake emails such as pcshopadmin@gmail.com**

Special Thanks to Dave,Anon,Warz, OneMoreLevel, and everyone else who has contributed to this system in some way or other, including early versions of this guide.
Feel free to send me or anyone questions about the process.
Good luck and I look forward to getting to know you